*** 2021 UPDATE: I am not currently taking any new students because I will be leaving all 3 of my teaching posts at the end of the summer 2021. MSAC, PMA & MCB are all in the process of hiring new cello instructors. Please continue to look into their programs and try them out if you are looking for cello instruction. I will be working on posting instructional videos on my “Brian Grimm’s Cello Zone!” YouTube account. I also will have some “bootcamp” virtual lesson packages available, but will not be teaching this Fall, 2021 ***
♯ Brian Grimm was formerly a Cello Instructor at:
- Mon @ Monroe Street Arts Center, near west side Madison, WI
- Wed @ Prairie Music Academy, Sun Prairie, WI
- Tues/Thr @ Music Con Brio, near east side Madison, WI
Inquiries and clarification, contact directly:
briangrimm.cellozone@gmail.com | (262) 347-9590
♮ I’m also available to teach:
Music Theory & Composition / Bass Guitar / Jazz / Improvisation
♭ “CONVERSATION = IMPROVISATION”
My free-improvisation music-workshop is available for booking | grimmusik@gmail.com | (262) 347-9590 |
My Approach: Music can be a release, a personal or shared meditation, an unending path to self-improvement through disciplined & honest self-critic… but, most importantly it’s a way to communicate with others in a deep, ancient language. I strive to help my students be aware in the moment as they express themselves, speaking through music. Students will chart their progress with a “practice journal” that we both may write in. In lessons, we’ll focus on healthy technique. One of my major responsibilities as a teacher is to help students discover the personal art of “how to practice”. We’ll break down difficult passages, learn how to create exercises and rhythm rudiments. My mantra for many years has been “Every Day”. I’ll assign small exercises, relevant to the techniques that we are exploring, which can be practiced for about 10 minutes a day. These every-day exercises can be used as the student’s warm up or as a separate mental workout dealing with rhythmic counting. Students will also be given weekly listening assignments, as well as “quick facts research” to learn the history of a piece, composer, & period. I’ve been a multi-instrumentalist since I first began learning music at the age of 10. In the process of learning over 10 instruments fluently, I’ve studied techniques from all over the world, in a plethora of genres. When it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter what genre(s) of music you want to play – what matters is having healthy technique so you can have fun doing it. That’s what I’ll help you to achieve! In addition to teaching, I am active professionally as a composer, improviser, performer, sound designer, electronic musician, & multi-instrumentalist on cello, bass guitar, & Chinese String strings (古琴 guqin, 古筝 guzheng, 琵琶 pipa, 二胡 erhu, 高胡 gaohu, 大阮 daruan). I’m a frequent collaborator in Madison’s avant-garde music scene who is passionate about exploring music traditions from around the world. Over the last decade I have found a niche composing, performing, and recording scores for dance, theatre, & film. As a result, I’ve released over 20 albums in the last 3 years. My music-making process is inspired and directed by the endless designs, mechanisms, variations, adaptations, and cycles found in the Universe.
Ages: 4-Adult Experience: From grade school through high school I learned the Suzuki Cello School, Volumes 1-7 with Janet Marshall. In 2005, I took over teaching the Suzuki repertoire to Mrs. Marshall’s cello studio for three summers. I then continued to teach cello at the Butler Community Arts School in Indianapolis from 2005-2009. Since 2010 I have been a freelance music tutor and guest lecturer.Education: BM with Honors in Music Composition, minor in Jazz Studies & Cello Performance from Butler University, Indianapolis, IN; Chinese Music Studies at Hong Kong Institute of Education, Tai Po, Hong Kong Activities: Brian composes, performs, and records solo music as BC Grimm (acoustic) and BRAIN GRIMMER (electronic), and with the ensembles: The Brothers Grimm, Watercourse Quartet, Lovely Socialite Mrs. Thomas W. Phipps, Stray Passage, Sisters Three, 5 Points Jazz Collective, Gastrique!, & others. Visit GrimmusiK.com for more information. His commissions & collaborations include: Fingerlakes Chamber Music Festival | City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong | Radio & Television Hong Kong (RTHK) | Wu Ji Ensemble (Hong Kong) | American Pianist Association Classical Fellowship Awards | Lyre Power | Jerrilee Lucas Yoga | Tinker Films | Indiana Repertory Theatre | PaperStrangers Dance and Theater Co. | Indy Fringe Theater | American Blues Theater | Ephemeral Dance | Strollers Theatre | NoExit Performance | Mine All Mine Records | Signal Dreams Records | Color Field Festival for Contemporary Music |
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